Adelaide Zoo Tour

This guy's probably a little down cast because he doesn't get about as much as he used to, you know catch up with old mates from the rainforests of Malaysia. But he could if he joined one of the regular behind-the-scenes tours now on offer at the Royal Adelaide Zoo. "I'll ask you to obey any instructions that you get from me or the keeper, we want to end up with the same number of people on the tour as we start with." Each afternoon volunteers like Graham Knighton take the uninitiated to those secret places where you can meet the creatures of the forest. Sandy Fisher is a keeper at the Southeast Asian Rainforest exhibit and a person who these two, Dewey and Akbar have come to rely on. While these Malaysian Sun Bears look cute enough, the hydraulic gates and steel grate are there for a very obvious reason. "These are the smallest of the bears but they can be very dangerous, certainly in the wild. And they are threatened in the countries that they come from by habitat destruction and also they are poached for Chinese medicine." And if you thought a heavy animal like Dewie spent all her time on the he forest floor...think again. On this tour you see what the animals like to eat and how they can make short work of what they're given. "You can see the strength there now. He got the coconut open and he uses his teeth and his claws to get the coconut out." If you're caught short in a Southeast Asian rainforest and accosted by a Sun Bear then reach for that bag of peanuts, they love'em.

But then again maybe its best to give them a wide berth and take in other highlights. Like the cheeky Ousky Langur who from inside the enclosure likes to keep tats on what the keepers and their tour members are up to. And the same to you a more well mannered animal from the forests of Southeast Asia is Mia - the Tapir. She looks like a combination of spare parts from the animal kingdom, small trunk reminiscent of the elephant with the proportions of a mini hippo but she's related to neither.. "Her closest relatives are rhinoceroses and horses and in fact her closest relative in the zoo is our zebra. The strange colouring is for camouflage the perfect protection in the dappled light of a dense forest. Mian was born in captivity and it shows. No such pampering for these critters. And I wonder why. The Otter thrives in this rainforest setting along with the Siamungs. A very happy go lucky bunch except for this guy Boojang a good looking bloke who should probably take up cards because he's so unlucky in love. Both his previous partners died and the search is on for a new soul mate. Boojang and the gang are all a part of the zoo's Behind-the-scenes tour which leaves the eh northern side of the pelican enclosure each weekend afternoon at half past one. It costs $2 for adults and $4 per family. Proceeds go towards saving the Sumatran Rhinoceros which is now close to extinction.

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